as in solving
to find an answer for through reasoning
a book of brainteasers that even a really clever person won't have an easy time figuring out
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Recent Examples of figuring out
This should come as no surprise to fans watching Season 2, as Mohan has really struggled with finding the balance between her personal life and her work, as well as figuring out what her future as a medical professional will look like.
—
Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
But with its striking glaciers, craggy peaks, and steamy geysers, Iceland can fill up an entire vacation – so the challenge for the casual visitor is figuring out what to cram into a short stay.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 1 Apr. 2026
Abrantes echoes that celebrity influence is huge in the watch world — especially for those starting out and figuring out their taste — giving younger customers permission to buck trends, discover independent brands and break convention.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
Blashill is tasked with figuring out his newcomers’ roles on the team.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Their final assignment in Advanced Placement Physics 2 should be figuring out the astronomical odds of how three best friends from the same volleyball team could be admitted to one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Co-owner Carolyn Nugent said her team is still figuring out where things go and how their work flows, but overall the upgrade has been just that.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 19 Mar. 2026
In addition to figuring out how to announce George’s birth, the press office was fielding hundreds of calls from journalists around the globe looking for information.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 12 Mar. 2026
Part of the motivation was figuring out how to make something cinematic without having to raise millions of dollars to make a movie.
—Ivy Pochoda, Oc Register, 5 Mar. 2026
Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
But with its striking glaciers, craggy peaks, and steamy geysers, Iceland can fill up an entire vacation – so the challenge for the casual visitor is figuring out what to cram into a short stay.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 1 Apr. 2026
Abrantes echoes that celebrity influence is huge in the watch world — especially for those starting out and figuring out their taste — giving younger customers permission to buck trends, discover independent brands and break convention.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
Blashill is tasked with figuring out his newcomers’ roles on the team.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Their final assignment in Advanced Placement Physics 2 should be figuring out the astronomical odds of how three best friends from the same volleyball team could be admitted to one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Co-owner Carolyn Nugent said her team is still figuring out where things go and how their work flows, but overall the upgrade has been just that.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 19 Mar. 2026
In addition to figuring out how to announce George’s birth, the press office was fielding hundreds of calls from journalists around the globe looking for information.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 12 Mar. 2026
Part of the motivation was figuring out how to make something cinematic without having to raise millions of dollars to make a movie.
—Ivy Pochoda, Oc Register, 5 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for figuring out
Verb
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The action to rescue her falls eventually to Mario and Luigi, having relocated permanently to the Mushroom Kingdom and serving as protectors of the realm, solving problems for its inhabitants.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
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The team is solving a case that could save their agency.—
Ronda Racha Penrice,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Vance also questioned what information Omar allegedly knew and withheld regarding sweeping fraud federal investigators are unraveling in her home state of Minnesota.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Mar. 2026
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The tectonic architecture of the Aegean Sea is messy, rife with crisscrossing faults and myriad volcanoes that make unraveling what happens at depth extremely difficult.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Aaron spent long hours at his computer answering queries, fixing bugs, and releasing updates to serve his growing base.—
Oriana van Praag,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
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During one of the day’s breaks, Tappin won a gift bag, including a flat iron, after answering a question correctly.—
Bracey Harris,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Gas prices continue to rise in Massachusetts and commuters are working out ways to cut back on spending.—
Paul Burton,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
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Another way to cut down on decision fatigue while working out is to start with the same move, which creates another predictable routine.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This technique allows researchers to capture processes occurring at incredibly fast timescales—on the order of femtoseconds (one quadrillionth of a second)—while also resolving features at the nanometer scale.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
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But Congress appears no closer to resolving the dispute over funding the Department of Homeland Security, which has stretched on for six weeks.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Figuring out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/figuring%20out. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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